National Library of Australia Conservation Management Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN A management plan complying with s.341S(1) of the EPBC Act 1999 Prepared for the National Library of Australia by Dr Michael Pearson Duncan Marshall 2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Conservation Management Plan (CMP), which satisfies section 341S and 341V of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), provides the framework and basis for the conservation and good management of the National Library of Australia building, in recognition of its heritage values. The National Library of Australia’s Heritage Strategy, which details the Library’s objectives and strategic approach for the conservation of heritage values, has been prepared and accepted by the then Minister on 24 August 2006. The Heritage Strategy will be reviewed during 2012 in parallel with the endorsement of this plan. The Policies in this plan support the directions of the Heritage Strategy, and indicate the objectives for identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to all generations of the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place. The CMP presents the history of the creation of the National Library of Australia and the construction of its building, describes the elements that have heritage significance, and assesses that significance using the Commonwealth Heritage List criteria. The plan outlines the obligations, opportunities and constraints affecting the management and conservation of the Library. A set of conservation policies are presented, with implementation strategies. —i— CONTENTS 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background and Purpose 1.2 Authorship 1.3 Acknowledgements 2. Description, History and Other Evidence ................................................................. 3 2.1 Location and Boundaries 2.2 Brief Description and Condition of the Place 2.3 History of the Origins and Development of the National Library of Australia 2.4 Design and Aesthetic Context and Character 2.5 Evidence of Scientific Value 2.6 Evidence of Social Value 3. Analysis of Evidence ................................................................................................ 33 3.1 Analysis of Historic Value 3.2 Analysis of Design and Aesthetic Value 3.3 Analysis of Scientific Value 3.4 Analysis of Social Value 4. Statement of Significance ....................................................................................... 38 4.1 Statement of Significance 4.2 Commonwealth Heritage Values and Attributes 5. Development of Policy—Opportunities and Constraints ...................................... 42 5.1 Implications Arising from Significance 5.2 Levels of Sensitivity to Change 5.3 Legislative Requirements 5.4 Stakeholders 5.5 Management Context, Requirements and Aspirations 5.6 Analysis of Condition and Integrity 5.7 Issues relating to the Broader Setting 6. Conservation Policy and Implementation Strategies ............................................ 62 6.1 Objective 6.2 Definitions 6.3 Conservation Management Policy and Implementation Strategies 6.4 Implementation Plan 7. Bibliography ............................................................................................................ 91 —ii— Appendix A: Plans Appendix B: Detailed Description of the Place Appendix C: Priority Works Appendix D: Commonwealth Heritage List Citation Appendix E: NLA Heritage Register Appendix F: Framework for Assessing Significance Appendix G: Burra Charter —iii— National Library of Australia Conservation Management Plan 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The National Library of Australia is committed to the conservation of the Commonwealth Heritage values of its building, and this commitment is reflected in its corporate planning documents and processes. This Conservation Management Plan, which satisfies section 341S and 341V of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), provides the framework and basis for the conservation and good management of the National Library of Australia building in recognition of its heritage values. The National Library of Australia’s Heritage Strategy, which details the Library’s objectives and strategic approach for the conservation of heritage values, has been prepared and accepted by the then Minister. The Policies in this plan support the directions of the Heritage Strategy, and indicate the objectives for identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to all generations of the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place. Figure 1 shows the basic planning process applied. Figure 1 Basic Steps of Conservation Management Planning Source: Australia ICOMOS 1999 Understand Significance Understand management obligations and constraints Develop Policy Manage in accordance with Policy Organisation of the Conservation Management Plan The Conservation Management Plan outlines the history of the development of the place and describes the key features (section 2), then assesses the heritage significance based on that information (sections 3 and 4). Section 5 then details the management situation -1- National Library of Australia Conservation Management Plan in which the Library operates, including the legislative requirements, stakeholders, and the requirements imposed on the manager and the Library’s aspirations for future change. The conservation policies which take into consideration both the heritage significance of the place and the management and operational situation are presented at section 6. 1.2 AUTHORSHIP This Conservation Management Plan was researched and written by Dr Michael Pearson (Heritage Management Consultants Pty Ltd), and Duncan Marshall, Heritage Architect. The heritage assessment is those of the authors. 1.3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Generous input was provided by a number of people, and our particular thanks go to staff of the National Library of Australia, the National Capital Authority and the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water Population and Communities who helped with the process. -2- National Library of Australia Conservation Management Plan 2. DESCRIPTION, HISTORY AND OTHER EVIDENCE 2.1 LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES The National Library of Australia, the place to which this Conservation Management Plan applies, is defined as Block 4 of Section 27, Parkes, and the buildings upon it. The Block incorporates the podium of the National Library Building, a small extensions to the north- east and north-west occupied by services, the entry stairway to the east, an access ramp and steps to the south, the service courtyard to the south-west, and entry road off King Edward Terrace. Figure 2 Location of National Library of Australia in the Parliamentary Zone -3- National Library of Australia Conservation Management Plan Figure 3 Lease area comprising the place -4- National Library of Australia Conservation Management Plan 2.2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION OF THE PLACE National Library of Australia Building Overview The National Library of Australia building is a prominent feature of the Parliamentary Triangle. This large rectangular building sits on a podium on the western side of the Triangle near the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin.1 Figure 4 National Library from the north, across Lake Burley Griffin (Source: D. Marshall) The building is generally Italian travertine marble clad with an encircling colonnade; it is rectangular in plan and was inspired by the style and proportions of the design of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The podium is clad in rock faced grey trachyte in contrast to the light marbles of the building above. The podium contains two basements and the building above has five storeys. The building has a low pitched copper roof. The building’s exterior is clad with marble, granite, bronze, slate and copper, while its interior has fine Australian timber finishes. Further information is provided in Appendix B. Structure and construction The building has a reinforced concrete structure of columns and slabs. The two service cores are reinforced concrete and these are rendered. Exterior walls are masonry clad with marble on the outside and rendered internally. Internal walls are a variety of construction including blockwork, brickwork, and lightweight framed construction. The roof has steel trusses. (see plans at Appendix A) High quality materials were used in many of the key spaces and building detailing. This included: paving of the foyer with Australian Wombeyan marble; handrails of Imperial black granite from South Australia; cruciform columns are clad in white Carrara marble, the walls clad in Roman 1 This section draws on Department of the Environment & Heritage 2005. -5- National Library of Australia Conservation Management Plan travertine, and the windows are bronze-framed; the foyer staircases are of pentelic marble specially selected from a quarry outside Athens; the wall behind the foyer is clad in split grey-green Serpentino marble tiles from North Italy; feature walls are clad in a variety of Australian timbers including Tasmanian oak, jarrah, red cedar, coachwood. Furniture throughout the building was designed by Frederick Ward and Arthur Robinson in collaboration with the architects, and many pieces remain in use or storage. Figure 5 Foyer stairs and Serpentino tiled wall from Mezzanine floor. (Source: M. Pearson) Figure 6 Furniture in Former Director General’s Office (Source: M. Pearson) Fig 7 Patterned paving on